1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to footwear and, more specifically, to a Shoe Cover.
2. Description of Related Art
Football, baseball and soccer are widely played traditional sports that each involve the players wearing cleated sports shoes, similar to those depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIGS. 1A and 1B are side perspective and bottom views, respectively, of a conventional cleated sports shoe 10. The shoes 10 have a (frequently leather) upper 12 terminating in a tip 20 at one end and a heel 22 at the other. The upper 12 is sewed or otherwise bonded to the sole 14, and further is generally tightly held on one's foot by laces 18. The sole 14 has several screw-in cleats 16 extending downwardly from it.
Functionally, the conventional shoe 10 is well suited to its purpose. The problem with the shoe involves issues related to the aesthetic appearance of the shoe 10. Virtually every athlete chooses their own shoes from a plethora of manufacturers, depending upon budget, fit of the shoe, durability, and other factors. While this provides great comfort to the user, it certainly doesn't lend itself to a consistent, uniform appearance from player to player. This effect is accentuated by the fact that the team members are all wearing uniforms. Also, as the shoes age, they can develop unsightly stains; the remedy is to replace the shoe, even though it is still in good functional shape.
To resolve these issues, a family of shoe covers has evolved, two examples of which are presented below in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are side perspective and bottom views respectively, of one prior shoe cover, Hall, U.S. Patent Application Publication US2003/0088996. The Hall cover 24 has a top cuff 30 and a toe opening 26 through which the shoe tip 20 can protrude. Because the sole portion 34 of the cover 24 is closed, the cover 24 is provided with a zippered closure 32 along its top, to permit the user to more easily don and doff the cover 24. In addition to added complexity, the zipper 32 mars an otherwise clean-looking shoe cover.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are side perspective and bottom views, respectively, of another prior shoe cover, Hauter, U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,792. The Hauter cover 40, like the Hall device, has a closed sole portion 34. Like Hall, Hauter had to provide some way to enable the cover to fit the shoe snugly, but still enable the user to easily slip the cover 40 on and off the shoe 10. Hauter accomplishes this with a folded-over portion at the heel of the cover 40 that is tensioned and de-tensioned by a heel strap 44 that then attaches to a hook-and-loop fastener 46 located on the side of the cover 40. The heel strap 44, as with the zipper of Hall takes away from the aesthetic looks of the cover 40, and further creates a location for wear and inevitable failure in the cover 40.